reading mcquail's mass communication theory

Reading McQuail’s Mass Communication TheorySixth edition

A classroom companion

2005 Piet Bakker

Part 1: Preliminaries 5Chapter 1: Introduction to the book 5Chapter 2: The rise of mass media 6

Part 2: Theories 7Chapter 3: Concepts and models for mass communication 7Chapter 4: Theory of media and society 8Chapter 5: Mass communication and culture 9Chapter 6: New media – new theory? 10Chapter 7: Normative theory of media and society 11

Part 3: Structures 12Chapter 8. Media structure and performance: principles and accountability 12Chapter 9. Media economics and governance 13Chapter 10. Global mass communication 14

Part 4: Organizations 16Chapter 11 The media organization: pressures and demands 16Chapter 12: The production of media culture 17

Part 5: Contents 19Chapter 13. Media content: issues, concepts and methods of analysis 19Chapter 14. Media genres and texts 20

Part 6: Audiences 22Chapter 15. Audience theory and research traditions 22Chapter 16. Audience formation and experience 23

Part 7: Effects 25Chapter 17. Processes and models of media effects 25Chapter 18. Social–cultural effects 26Chapter 19. News, public opinion and political communication 27

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McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory is a very comprehensive book. It is a seminal book for scholars and a classic in its genre. Not only does it cover all kinds of aspects of the mass communication process and the theories involved, it also tries to compare diff erent viewpoints and gives an historic analysis of diff erent theories.

In Reading McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory1 we try to make reading and understanding the book somewhat easier. Each chapter is introduced by identifying the main topics and there are usually no more than three or four central issues in each chapter. Every topic is briefly introduced, and covered by questions about theories, diff erences between theories, viewpoints, history, empirical support for theories, possible critique on theories etc.

This is best used as a classroom companion, it can serve as a starting point for discussions and practical work on the basis on the book.

Following the first and second introductory chapters on the rise of the mass media, the book covers six central themes:

Theories about mass communication and the media (Chapters 3-7);Structures, meaning the relation between the media and their environment (Chapters 8-10); The Organizations that produce and distribute communication (Chapters 11-12); The Content of mass communication (Chapters 13-14); The Audience of mass communication (Chapters 15-16); The Effects of mass communication (Chapters 17-19).

In Chapter 20 (Epilogue) an agenda for future research is presented. After this concluding chapter a Glossary can be found with many diff erent concepts from the theories presented.

1 The first version of the classroom companion was written in 2001 by Mi Hee Haring with Piet Bakker, Tibor van Bekkum, Susanne Broekhuizen, Joyce Heisen, Marije Schoeber and Eva Wolf. They worked as teachers at the department of mass communication at the University of Amsterdam, where Denis McQuail worked for more than 25 years. Later versions were revised by Piet Bakker and Mark Deuze. Piet Bakker (associate professor of communication), was responsible for the fifth edition version, now revised by the author for the sixth edition.

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Part 1: Preliminaries

In the first two chapters the structure of the book is made clear, and some basic elements of the study of mass communication are explained. Also it contains a short media history.

In Chapter 1 the basic question ‘Why should we study mass communication?’ is covered, as well as diff erent traditions of studying mass communication and diff erent kinds of theory. The structure of the book is also explained.Chapter 2 contains a historic overview of diff erent media.

How is the book organized? Why are media so important? What kinds of theories are used to describe and explain mass communication? What are the diff erent approaches in studying mass communication? How can we define mass communication?

The importance of mass mediaWhy are mass media important as a political and cultural factor and for everyday social life? What can be said about the economic significance of the media?

The structure of the bookWhat is meant by a theory, a concept and a model? What is the diff erence between ‘society’ and ‘culture’?

Themes and issuesIn what sense are time, place and power important? What is the diff erence between ‘social reality’ and ‘meaning’? Explain why ‘mediation’ can be seen as an alternative to the causal model?

Limitation of coverage and perspectivesWhat is meant by the possible Western ‘bias’ of the book? Explain what is meant by leftist and conservative media theory?What is the diff erence between media-centric and society-centric approaches? What is the diff erence between the culturalist and the materialist approach? Explain the four perspectives (Figure. 1.1) that are used to describe the relation between media and society. Why are there four perspectives and not just one?What perspective do you find the most plausible?

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Chapter 1: Introduction to the book

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Chapter 2: The rise of mass media

TheoriesWhat kind of theories can be found in the field of mass communication? What kind of theories will be dominant in this book and why?

Communication science and mass communicationWhy does McQuail think the definition of ‘communication science’ by Berger and Chaff ee is inadequate? Between what ‘levels of communication’ can we diff erentiate?

What are the specific characteristics of diff erent media; and what are the main diff erences between media?

Media characteristicsNewspapers become ‘commodities’; why is this so important? What is the diff erence between the three sorts of newspapers?Why did the newspaper press flourish in the second half of the 19th century? What is meant by ‘thinly concealed ideological and implicitly propagandist elements in many entertainment films’ and why are films ‘more subject to conformist pressures’ (p. 32)? Why do radio and television have a ‘high degree of regulation’ compared to the written press? What is meant by the ‘significant radical and creative strands despite increased commercialization’ in music? Why could the ‘communications revolution’ be seen as a revolt against ‘mass communication’?

DifferencesWhy is it not so easy to distinguish between diff erent media? Explain what is meant by the four sorts of media control and the four ‘favourable’ conditions for control. In what way is control of new media (internet, games, mobile phones) diff erent from traditional media control?

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Part 2: Theories

These five chapters have Theories as a common theme:Chapter 3 focuses on the concept ‘mass’ and on diff erent approaches of the study of mass communication. The relation between media and society (what influences what?) is covered in Chapter 4. The meaning of media for what we know of the world and how we see it, is central in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 is devoted to new media.In Chapter 7 a specific sort of theory, namely normative theory, is covered.

What early perspectives on the relation between media and society can be distinguished; and what is the meaning of mass in mass communication and mass culture?

How do we see mass communication and what consequences does this viewpoint have for the way we study mass communication (paradigms)? What models can we use to study mass communication?

Early perspectivesWhat ‘sets of ideas’ on the relation between media and society can be distinguished and what sort of empirical proof was presented to support these perspectives?

The Mass ConceptHow does the ‘social outlook’ influence one’s optimistic or pessimistic view on integration? Explain why mass can have positive and negative connotations. What are the main characteristics of mass communication? What is meant by an ‘a-symmetric’ power relation? Why is there a ‘calculative relation’ between the media and the public? Why and how is mass culture explained in terms of what it is not? What is the relation between taste (mass culture) and class according to Bourdieu?

ParadigmsWhat is the social and political worldview of the dominant paradigm? What are the three theoretical ‘pillars’ of the dominant paradigm?Explain what Rogers (1986) means with the ‘intellectual cul-de-sac’ of the

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Chapter 3: Concepts and models for mass communication

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Chapter 4: Theory of media and society

transmission model. What are the main diff erences between the alternative and the dominant paradigm? Why is a political standpoint or worldview so important in these paradigms?

ModelsExplain the main characteristics of the four models in terms of senders and receivers.Why are there four models and not just one?What is the relation between the models and the paradigms?

Theories on the relation between media and society, with a focus on society.

Introduction / Media, society and cultureWhat does McQuail mean by the diff erence between society (Chapter 4) and culture (Chapter 5)? Rosengren developed a model (Figure. 4.1) to clarify the relation between social structures and culture. Explain the four diff erent relations given.

MediationWhat is meant by mediation? What sixth diff erent metaphors does McQuail use to describe the possible roles media can play? How feasible are these diff erent metaphors?

Media and SocietyThree diff erent types of theory are described in the part about theories on the relation between media and society; what are the main diff erences between these theories? What are the main themes that have ‘shaped debate’ on media–society relations? Two models of thinking about media power are distinguished – explain those models. Explain what is meant by the possible centripetal and the centrifugal societal eff ects of the media and the four possible eff ects.

TheoriesMcQuail distinguishes between six theoretical approaches on the relation between media and society; give a short summary of each of these theories. Try to group these theories in one of the two paradigms of Chapter 3 and also in Figure 4.4 of this chapter.

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Chapter 5: Mass communication and culture

The focus here is on texts and meanings: the cultural elements of mass communication. What is meant by culture and what are the most important theoretical approaches? Why are concepts like technology, commercialism and globalization important?

The culturalist approachExplain the diff erence between the culturalist and the social scientific approach.

Communication and cultureWhat is the ritual approach that Carey introduced? Give an example of a research question that could be answered with this approach. Culture is hard to define but what elements are probably important? What are the most important themes in media-cultural theory?

BeginningsWhen and how does cultural theory begin?What is meant by ‘the redemption of the popular’?

GenderWhat are important themes in the gender-approach? How does oppositional reading explain the popularity of ‘overtly patriarchal messages’?

CommercializationWhy does the term commercialization have a negative connotation? Do you think this critique is to the point? What is meant by tabloidization?

Technology and cultivationExplain the approaches of McLuhan and Gerbner. What is post-modern culture? What is meant by the concept ‘simulacrum’?

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Chapter 6: New media – new theory?

If new media are indeed very much diff erent in use and possibilities from old media, a new theoretical approach is needed. If not, existing theories can be applied.

IntroductionWhen is a new theoretical approach to new media really needed? Why is there a focus on the Internet and not on other new technologies?

What is newWhat is meant by digitalization and convergence? Explain the 5 points mentioned in Box 6.1. The Internet has diff erent implications for authors, publishers and the audience; explain the main diff erences.

Main Themes and TheoryApply the main themes from Chapter 4 to the new media. What are the main diff erences? What sorts of new media can be distinguished? Give an example of each of these sorts. Apply the key characteristics of the new media to the sorts mentioned above and your examples.How can interactivity be interpreted and measured?

Patterns of information traffi cWhat patterns of information traffic can be distinguished? What is the main trend in the development of these patterns of information traffic when media are concerned?

CMCWhat is ‘computer-mediated community formation’? What is a ‘virtual community’?

ParticipationNew media have been welcomed as a possible new way for political participation. Dahlberg describes three basic models in this respect. How plausible are these models according to you? Is the internet a ‘technology of freedom’? Explain what is meant by the Equalizer / Divider metaphor.

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Chapter 7: Normative theory of media and society

How can the media contribute to the ‘public interest’ and can these responsibilities be put to practical use?

Introduction / Sources of normative obligationWhat is a normative theory? Why are media obligations problematic in most western societies? Give practical examples of the seven influences on ‘normative expectations’.

Early approachesExplain why John Stuart Mill is defending ‘wrong opinions’. Explain the diff erence between the American and the Dutch press freedom laws.

Social responsibilityWhat were the four central tasks of the press according to the Hutchins Commission in 1947? The social responsibility theory has, according to McQuail, five main principles (Box 7.4). Are all the principles realized in your country?

ProfessionalismWhat principles can be found in almost every (European) journalism code? What is meant by the ‘gap’ between theory and practise when it comes to journalistic professional standards?

Four Theories of the PressThe four press theories have received considerable criticism, and there have been some attempts to add theories as well. Explain the critique and the additions.

Public service broadcastingExplain the diff erences and similarities between the goals for public service broadcasting and the elements found in most European press council codes.McQuail mentions three sorts of tensions that might aff ect public broadcasting; explain these tensions.

Public sphereWhat is meant by ‘public sphere’? How can public journalism be a solution to a decreasing public sphere?

Alternative visionsWhat is meant by the emancipatory media theory and the communitarian theory? McQuail mentions at the end of the chapter four alternative models. How do these models safeguard the public sphere?

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Part 3: Structures

Chapter 8: Media structure and performance: principles and accountability

These three chapters have Structures as a common theme, meaning the relation the media have with other organizations and institutions.

Chapter 8 begins where Chapter 7 ends: expectations we have of the media; in this chapter it is explained how these expectations can be enforced in practise.Chapter 9 discusses the complex character of media: they are businesses as well as institutions with a specific task in society.In Chapter 10 the growing international character of the media and its consequences are discussed.

The ideas from Chapter 7 (normative theory) are discussed in more practical terms: how do media perform and how can they be held accountable?

IntroductionWhat six basic values for media content can be distinguished? What is meant by the distinction between structure, conduct and performance?

FreedomExplain the diff erence between structure and performance with the concepts used in Figure 8.1.

EqualityHow can equality be realized in structure and in performance?

DiversityExplain the diff erences between the two variants of ‘diversity-as-equal-treatment’.

Truth and information qualityExplain the diff erent elements of the concept of objectivity. Westertahl developed a model whereby objectivity could be measured. Explain this model and try to come up with practical examples for each element. Objectivity also has its limits; explain the four limits mentioned (p. 202-3).

Social and cultural orderThe support of social order is perhaps the most problematic of the normative

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criteria mentioned. Why is that? What kinds of cultural quality can be distinguished?

Accountability What is accountability and why can it also be explained as ‘naming, blaming and claiming’? Explain the distinction between accountability and responsibility in practical terms. What are the two models of accountability? Give an example of each of these models. Four diff erent frames of accountability are given. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these diff erent frames?

Media are institutions with a responsibility to society as well as businesses that want to make profits. Consequences of this hybrid character are discussed in this chapter.

Not just any other businessExplain the four diff erent perspectives from which the media can be studied. Give practical examples of the three main forces (Figure. 9.1) that influence media. McQuail mentions three economic trends that aff ect media. Explain why concentration, internationalization and technology are so important, and give recent examples of these trends.

Basics of media structureWhat is the ‘media system’ in your country? McQuail mentions media sectors and media firms. Explain the diff erence between the two with examples from your own country.

Economic principlesWhy is it important to distinguish between the advertising and the consumer market? What are the possible relations between the importance of the consumer market for media and diversity? What is meant by the ‘first copy cost’? Explain why this concept is important for diff erent media.

Ownership and controlExplain Altschull’s second law of journalism.

Competition and concentrationExplain horizontal and vertical concentration, cross media ownership and

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Chapter 9: Media economics and governance

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Chapter 10: Global mass communication

synergy with examples from your own country.

Media governance and regulationWhat is governance and why is it diff erent from just media law? Explain the diff erences between the three models of regulation. Why and how is the Internet diff erent when it comes to regulation?

Media policy paradigmsWhat is meant by the three phases of communication policy (Figure 9.5)?

Globalization is one of the most important trends in mass communication. The meaning of globalization and the consequences of this development are discussed in this chapter.

OriginsWhy are the mass media ‘object and agent’ of the globalising process?

Technology and moneyExplain the role of diff erent technologies in the globalisation of media content. The brakes in the globalization process have been ‘cultural’ according to McQuail. Why is that? Explain the economic drives behind globalisation.

Multinational ownershipWhy are ‘one-off ’ media more often subject to international ownership than ‘cash-flow’ media? Are there also exceptions to that rule?

Varieties of global mass mediaWhat sorts of global mass communication can be distinguished? Give examples of these forms.

International media dependencyHas the expansion of old and the rise of new media helped to reduce media dependency?

Cultural imperialismAfter the Second World War there was a very ‘ethnocentric’ way of looking at international communication according to McQuail. What does he mean by that? What is the diff erence between the old international propaganda and the new ‘media imperialism’?

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What is meant by cultural imperialism and what are the main arguments of the criticizers? And what are the alternative views on cultural imperialism? What is the diff erence between the dependency and the free-flow paradigms?

TransnationalizationGive examples of national, bilateral and multilateral flows of television content and possible eff ects.

International newsWhat is meant by the bias in international news, why is it there, and is the critique on this bias justified?

Global trade in media cultureAlthough nationally produced TV-content is the most popular in almost every country, foreign (mostly American) material is the most visible. Why is that? Explain why MTV Europe is mentioned as an example of the limitations of globalization.

National and cultural identityAccording to McQuail national identity is more questionable than cultural identity and the notion of European identity is even more suspect. Why is that?

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Part 4: Organizations

These chapters are about Organizations – meaning the media and their environment – how they work, what influences them and how they produce output.

Chapter 11 focuses on the organization and the relations with other organizations as well as internal relations.Chapter 12 is devoted to the content production of the media.

The influences on the media and the demands from society, pressure and interest groups, and the audience, as well as internal pressures, are discussed in this chapter.

Research methods and perspectives Define the key terms structure, conduct and performance. What is participant observation?

The main issuesExplain the two main issues McQuail mentions with empirical examples. There are five hypotheses about ‘factors influencing content’ (Box 11.1). What hypotheses will be covered in this chapter and why?

The media organization in a fi eld of social forcesExplain the diff erences between Figures 11.1 and 11.2. Diff erent ‘work cultures’ in a media organization may lead to tensions according to McQuail. Explain this in practical terms.

Relations with societyWhat is meant by the ‘ambiguity’ of goals of media organizations?

Relations with owners and clientsWhy is there only a limited autonomy when it comes to the role of the proprietor? When the influence of advertisers is concerned, McQuail mentions that there is – apart from incidental eff orts to influence media content – also a ‘normal’

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Chapter 11: The media organization: pressures and demands


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influence. What does he mean by that?

Relations with the audience Explain the problematic relation between journalists and their audience and try to come up with practical examples of this problematic relation.

Aspects of internal structure and dynamics Internal tensions may arise from the fact that media are ‘hybrid organizations’. Explain this with examples from diff erent sorts of media.

The infl uence of personal characteristics of ‘mass communicators’ That personal characteristics are important in the production of media content is part of what McQuail calls the ‘mythology’ of the media themselves. Explain this.

What is happening in a media-organization and how is cultural content produced?

Gatekeeping and selectionExplain gatekeeping and the weaknesses of the concept in practical terms. What is the diff erence between the classic gatekeeping concept and the organizational and ideological approaches?

Infl uences on news selectionExplain the diff erence between the idea of news as a ‘naturally occurring product’ and the ‘creation of news’ approach. Why are people, location and time important in the news selection process? Explain the importance of routine news (Molotch and Lester).

The struggle over access between media and societyMcQuail writes that ‘access is bound to be a site of struggle’; what does that mean? Why is ‘reality television’ a misleading title?

The infl uence of sources on news How important are sources in the process of news selection and processing? How and why is news ‘planned’? What is a ‘pseudo event’ and can you find examples of such events? Explain what is meant by ‘assimilation’ in the relation between journalists and sources.

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Chapter 12: The production of media culture

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Processing and presentationExplain the diff erence between selection on the one hand and processing and presentation on the other. What is bias and how can it be the result of internal processing?

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Media content is the central theme of this part: why and how do we study content and how is content produced? Also the main sorts of content are discussed.

Chapter 13 focuses on the question of how content is studied in communication science.In Chapter 14 media genres and media texts (categories of content) are discussed.

What are the main reasons for studying media content and what are the most important traditions in content analysis?

Why study media content?Why is it important to distinguish message from meaning? McQuail lists nine diff erent motives that have guided the study of content. Give practical examples of these diff erent motives and of the sort of content that would be studied in each case.

Critical perspectives on content Explain the diff erent ‘schools of criticism’ when media content is concerned.

Structuralism and semiology What is meant by the concepts sign, signifier and signified and how do these relate to ‘meaning’? Explain the diff erence between connotation and denotation with a practical example. Visual images are, according to McQuail, ‘polysemic’ but have sometimes greater ‘denotative power’ than spoken words. Explain this.

Media content as information Why is this approach linked to the ‘transmission model’ according to McQuail? How can information be ‘measured’ in practical terms?

Media performance discourse Explain why this approach is linked to normative theory and what kinds of norms are studied in this respect.

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Part 5: Content

Chapter 13: Media content: issues, concepts and methods of analysis

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Chapter 14: Media genres and texts

Objectivity and its measurementWhat are the main elements of the objectivity concept and how can these be measured? Why can the reality–reflection norm be criticized?

Questions of research method Explain why meaning can be found in three diff erent ‘locations’.

Traditional content analysisExplain what is meant by the ‘two main assumptions’ of traditional content analysis and why these assumptions are often criticized.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis compared What are the main diff erences between quantitative and qualitative methods?

The concept genre is used to distinguish between diff erent sorts of media texts. The news-genre, violence and the relation between text and meaning are discussed in detail.

Questions of genre Explain the characteristics of genres with practical examples. What is meant by media logic and media format?

The news genre What does Lippmann mean by the statement ‘news is not a mirror’? Try to give some examples of the ‘stretching of a genre’.

The structure of news: bias and framingWhat is meant by ‘framing’?

News as narrative What is meant by ‘news as narrative’; how does the concept of storytelling fit in this concept and why is it diff erent from ‘factual reporting’?

Television violenceExplain how the diff erent ‘contextual factors’ of violence in the media can contribute to the alleged harmful eff ects.

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The cultural text and its meanings The concept of media text is used in diff erent ways. Explain this and explain also why this approach (text and meaning) is diff erent from the approach in the part on television violence. Give some examples of closed and open texts. What is a gendered text?

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What is ‘the audience’, how is the audience analysed, and what does the audience do with media?

Chapter 15 focuses on the question ‘What is the audience?’ and on audience research traditions.In Chapter 16 the formation and the behaviour of the public is discussed.

One of the problems of the audience is that it often is invisible. The main topic of the chapter is to define what an audience actually is and how audience research can be conducted.

The audience conceptHow can the concept ‘audience’ be defined or characterized?

From mass to marketWhat are the main characteristics of the audience as a mass-market? Explain this in terms of diff erent media.

Critical perspectives

What is the main discussion in the part ‘critical perspectives’?

Goals of audience research Give examples of the diff erent goals of audience research.

Alternative traditions of research Describe the three diff erent research traditions.

Types of audience McQuail states that there are four main audience types. Explain these types with recent examples.

Activity and selectivityExplain ritualized and instrumental media use in practical terms.

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Part 6: Audiences

Chapter 15: Audience theory and research traditions


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How does the public use the media and in what way is that related to the shaping of the audience?

The ‘why’ of media useExplain how the three diff erent ‘research schools’ approach (pp. 404-6) media use behaviour.Although a ‘good deal’ is known about audience formation, other developments are still a ‘mystery’ according to McQuail (p. 420); what does he mean by that? Explain the three variables that influence media use with examples of your own media use (p. 421).

The uses and gratifi cations approachExplain the basic assumptions and the media-person interactions of the Uses and Gratifications approach. What are the weaknesses of this approach? How does the distinction between expectation and satisfaction explain changes in media use behaviour?

An integrated model of audience choiceWhat two sorts of factors play a role in media use? Give examples for each of these factors. Why is this ‘integrated’ model behavioural and the ‘media orientation model’ structural?

Public and private spheres of media useWhat can be meant by the term ‘public’ in media use?

Subculture and audience Why is the relation between subculture and media so important?

Life-style Why is the life-style approach diff erent from the idea that media use is related to social class?

Gendered audiences What is the essence of the gendered audience according to McQuail? Give some practical examples (with diff erent genders).

Sociability and uses of the mediaWhy can it be satisfying to see a ‘bad’ movie? Explain why media use can be seen as social isolation but also as a social event.

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Chapter 16: Audience formation and experience

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Normative framing of media use Why is there a tendency to see heavy media use as a ‘bad’ thing? Explain why media use can be associated with feelings of duty and guilt as well.

The view from the audienceWhat is meant by affective direction and para-social interaction?

Media fandom What is the diff erence between attachment, identification, capture and fandom?

The end of the audience? How do terms like segmentation and fragmentation relate to ‘the end of the audience’? What are the four stages of fragmentation?

The ‘escape’ of the audience What are the possible consequences of the overabundance or overload of media supply?

The future of the audience Why is a fundamental change of the audience (as predicted by some) perhaps not really possible?

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What sorts of eff ects can we expect from the media and how can these diff erent sort of eff ects be categorized?

Chapter 17 is devoted to the history of thinking about media eff ects and to the question of what sort of eff ects we can expect.In Chapter 18 social cultural eff ects, mostly unintended, are discussed.In Chapter 19 the focus is on news genre with its possible consequences for public opinion.

How much power do the media have? There have been diff erent answers to this question in the history of communication science. And eff ects can also be categorized in diff erent ways.

The premise of media effectExplain the eff ect-paradox that McQuail is talking about.

The natural history of media effect research and theory: four phases Four phases in the thinking about media eff ects can be distinguished. What are these phases and what are the most important characteristics of each of these phases? How does James Carey explain this shift in thinking about media eff ects?

Types of communicative powerExplain the diff erence between the behavioural model of eff ects and the sociological model. What is ‘symbolic power’ and what is, according to McQuail, the most successful way to exercise such power?

Levels and kinds of effects Explain the diff erence between cognitive, aff ective and behavioural eff ects.

Processes of media effect: a typology Eff ects can be mapped (Figure 17.2) in a model with two axes. Explain how the model works and what sort of eff ects are mapped.

Individual response and reaction: the SR modelDiscuss the advantages and shortcomings of the stimulus-response model.

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Part 7: Effects

Chapter 17: Processes and models of media effects

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Chapter 18: Social–cultural effects

Mediating conditions of effectsWhat kind of conditions mediate media eff ects and what do we know about the eff ectiveness of these diff erent conditions?

Source-receiver relationsExplain how diff erent relations between source and receiver can influence media eff ects.

The campaignWhen talking about the possible eff ects of campaigns McQuail introduces the concept of filters. How do these influence possible outcomes of the campaign?

In this chapter unintended eff ects, that may have social and cultural consequences, are discussed. These are the sort of eff ects that are referred to in discussions about the sometimes possible harmful societal eff ects of the media.

A model of behavioural effectExplain the elaborated stimulus-response model.

The media, violence and crimeWhat are the three basic assumptions when the relations between violent TV-content and children are concerned? Explain the three theoretical models on TV-eff ects. The actual evidence for media-eff ects concerning TV-violence is, however, contested. Explain this discussion. How can media content be related to fright and crime and are these hypotheses supported by evidence?

Collective reaction effectsWhat kind of ‘unintended’ eff ects on social groups can be distinguished and what is the role of the media in these outcomes?

Diffusion of innovations and development Explain the information diff usion model. How can the knowledge gap be defined and under what circumstances can the media close this gap?

Social learning theoryHow can the social learning theory be applied to media use?

Socialization Explain why evidence of socialization eff ects is not very clear.

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Social control and consciousness formationHow does the propaganda model of Chomsky and Herman work? McQuail mentions the concept of media omission; explain what he means by that and why it is important.

CultivationCultivation is, according to McQuail, the best documented and investigated media eff ect theory. Explain how this theory works and if there is ample evidence to support the theory (p. 494-7)

Entertainment effectsWhat is escapism and why is this concept ‘inadequate’ according to McQuail.

Possible consequences and eff ects of news and information are discussed in this chapter; how is public opinion aff ected by various forms of political communication?

Learning from news What factors influence the likelihood that someone learns from news and is it possible to diff erentiate between media? How do framing and exemplification work in learning from news?

Trust and credibilityWhy would people with outspoken views tend to read news more in a hegemonic way than people with moderate views? Explain why diff erent media have diff erent credibility.

News diffusionExplain the diff erence between the J- and S-shape forms of news diff usion.

Framing effects Explain how media frames and audience frames can be the result of four diff erent ‘framing processes’. What is the diff erence between the cognitive and the constructionist model of framing?

Agenda-settingWhy is priming a specific aspect of agenda-setting?

Effects on public opinion and attitudesExplain why attitudes and opinions are hard to measure. What is cognitive dissonance?

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Chapter 19: News, public opinion and political communication

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The elaboration-likelihood model (ELM) of infl uenceExplain the two ways of processing information in the ELM-model.

The spiral of silenceExplain this theory and the problems that arise when the theory is tested. Why is this theory ‘a close neighbour to mass society theory’? What is the third party eff ect?

Structuring reality and unwitting bias Explain how long-term media eff ects can be brought about unintentionally and what sorts of eff ects these are. What is meant by unwitting bias and pseudo-events?

Risk communicationHow can the relation between real crime, crime reporting and public fear of crime be explained?

Political communication effects in democracies There are three ways of seeing the role of the media in society (p. 523-4). Explain these three diff erent views. What do we know about media and election campaigns?

Effects on political institutions and processesWhat is meant by the ‘triumph of media logic over political logic’?

Event outcomes How plausible is the CNN-eff ect?

Propaganda and warOriginally propaganda was a neutral term – explain with some examples why it has mainly negative connotations now. What factors contribute to ‘successful’ war propaganda?

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